Life-cycle assessment validates Ecocem’s ACT technology

Ecocem demonstrate up to 60% carbon reduction in US cement manufacturing with ACT technology

ECOCEM, Europe’s leading provider of low-carbon cement technologies, today announced the completion of a screening life-cycle assessment (LCA) that validated their ACT technology can reduce up to 60% of total CO₂ emissions associated with cement manufacturing in the US, when compared with Portland limestone cement.

ACT is Ecocem’s scalable low-carbon cement technology that can reduce CO₂ from cement manufacturing while delivering the necessary strength, durability, and workability required in any concrete it is used to manufacture. ASTM C1157 certified, Ecocem’s ACT technology proves that sustainable cement can also be high-performing and highly efficient in terms of material usage, and cost-effective.

This screening LCA was conducted by Climate Earth, a leading provider of on-demand, digital Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) and business intelligence tools for the concrete industry, and in conformity with recognized industry methodologies and standards to support the credibility and comparability of the results.

Specifically, the screening LCA found Ecocem’s ACT technology achieved an embodied carbon of 345 kgCO₂e/tonne, representing up to 60% reduction compared with the Portland Cement Association (PCA) industry average of 844 kgCO₂e/tonne for Portland limestone cement.

‘This third-party validation demonstrates ACT’s ability to deliver very substantial reductions in embodied carbon emissions across cement and concrete applications in the US,’ said Steve Bryan, managing director of Ecocem Americas. ’With the proven performance of ground granulated blast-furnace slag (ggbs), ACT strengthens our mission to accelerate the decarbonization of global construction markets while improving industry efficiency and without increasing costs or complexity.’

ACT technology significantly reduces cement emissions by cutting clinker content by up to 70% and replacing it with abundantly available materials, such as locally sourced supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs). Clinker, the key reactive component in cement, is responsible for over 90% of its carbon emissions. By optimizing the interaction and performance of SCMs and engineered mineral admixtures, ACT not only lowers clinker content, but also enables much more efficient use of SCMs, delivering high-performance, low-carbon cement at scale.

ACT can be implemented without significant modifications to existing cement and concrete production processes. It allows for the use of standard practices and equipment, making it feasible for most cement plants to easily adopt. This approach requires minimal additional capital expenditure or industrial transformation, as it uses the majority of existing assets along with local raw materials.

Further signalling US market readiness, this validation and previously announced certification come as Ecocem move forward with their first North American project: a proposed terminal and milling operation at the Port of Los Angeles. Still in the early stages of planning and review, the facility intends to establish a reliable, resilient supply chain for producing low-carbon, high-performance cement in California and support the state with the durable infrastructure required for long-term economic growth.